Calgary Stampeders' Cordarro Law reaping benefits of playing on line with Charleston Hughes

Calgary Stampeders Cordarro Law runs on to the field before facing the Montreal Alouettes in CFL football at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta on Saturday July 20, 2013. Al Charest/Calgary Sun/QMI Agency

While Hughes is commanding the attention — and double-teams — the other Calgary Stampeders defensive end, Cordarro Law, is reaping the rewards of playing along the same defensive line as one of the CFL’s premier pass-rushers.

Quietly, the Alabama native and former Southern Mississippi standout, has produced five sacks this season, tying Hughes and Edmonton Eskimos edge rusher Odell Willis for fourth in the league.

That’s one more than the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ big-name duo of Ricky Foley and John Chick have ... combined.

Law is hoping to keep his numbers on the down-low, too.

“I knew I was capable of putting up numbers,” Law said. “I want to keep it on the quiet, though. I don’t want it to be out there so guys start paying attention to me. I want to keep putting up the quiet numbers.

“That’s a big benefit, and that’s why my numbers are still quiet, because I’ve got Charleston over there. They mainly key on him, so it’s leaving me open to do what I do.”

More two-sack games like his Week 9 performance in Toronto, and teams will have the unenviable task of deciding which D-end to focus on.

It’s been a learning process for the 6-foot-2, 262-pounder since he showed up in Calgary late last season.

“He was a good football player last year, but he’s learning the CFL game and honed his skills to be successful in the CFL game,” Stamps GM/head coach John Hufnagel said. “Training camp, usually, for the guys that come up in the mid-point of one season, after having a full training camp, their level of play does take a step up, and his level of play has definitely gone up.”

After bottling up Argos quarterbacks Ricky Ray and Zach Collaros last week, Law is ready for a new challenge in Esks pivot Mike Reilly.

“Mainly, he can run,” Law said. “He’s pretty fast, and he can throw the ball, too. The last couple games he’s been putting up 300 or 400 passing yards, so we gotta treat him like a (Travis) Lulay or a (Darian) Durant, kind of. We can’t just go out there and freely rush him like Ricky Ray.”

Reilly, who came over in a January trade from the B.C. Lions after spending three seasons in Vancouver, was handed the starting quarterback gig when Matt Nichols blew out his knee in the pre-season, and the 28-year-old has performed admirably.

The Central Washington product is second in the league in passing yards with 2,031, and behind a banged-up offensive line, Reilly has completed 62.6% of his passes with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

He’s earned high marks for his toughness this season.

“He’s exactly how I thought he would be, like he was in B.C.,” Stamps defensive co-ordinator Rick Campbell said. “He’s a competitor. He moves well enough to extend the play, and he will throw the ball down the field. And they have good receivers — Edmonton’s always had guys that can make plays.

“He’s going to compete until the bitter end, so you have to be on top of your game to have a chance.”

Law, who insists he could play defensive back if he had to, has no problem with working for his numbers, either.

“(The Esks) offensive line has been struggling, but the last couple of weeks they’ve been getting better and better,” Law said. “We can’t just come out and think it’s going to happen. We still gotta work to get our sacks. It’s gonna be a tough game.”

While Hughes is commanding the attention — and double-teams — the other Calgary Stampeders defensive end, Cordarro Law, is reaping the rewards of playing along the same defensive line as one of the CFL’s premier pass-rushers.

Quietly, the Alabama native and former Southern Mississippi standout, has produced five sacks this season, tying Hughes and Edmonton Eskimos edge rusher Odell Willis for fourth in the league.

That’s one more than the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ big-name duo of Ricky Foley and John Chick have ... combined.

Law is hoping to keep his numbers on the down-low, too.

“I knew I was capable of putting up numbers,” Law said. “I want to keep it on the quiet, though. I don’t want it to be out there so guys start paying attention to me. I want to keep putting up the quiet numbers.

“That’s a big benefit, and that’s why my numbers are still quiet, because I’ve got Charleston